# Apollo API + MCP vs Dropcontact API + MCP

> Apollo API + MCP has a score of 63.6 (B) against Dropcontact API + MCP's 51.1 (D). Both do lead enrichment. The largest gap is schema & documentation, 46 points. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apollo-vs-dropcontact
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apollo-vs-dropcontact.md (~1,550 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apollo-vs-dropcontact.min.md (~330 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apollo-vs-dropcontact.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-05

Apollo API + MCP has a score of 63.6 (B) against Dropcontact API + MCP's 51.1 (D). Both do lead enrichment. The largest gap is schema & documentation, 46 points.

- Apollo API + MCP: grade B, 63.6/100, rank #199 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/apollo.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/apollo.json
- Dropcontact API + MCP: grade D, 51.1/100, rank #355 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/dropcontact.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/dropcontact.json

## Which one, for what

Pick Apollo API + MCP for reliability (+8), schema & documentation (+46), agent ergonomics (+5), maintenance & community (+40).

Pick Dropcontact API + MCP for payments & pricing (+10).

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Apollo API + MCP | Dropcontact API + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 65 | 57 | Apollo API + MCP +8 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 87 | 41 | Apollo API + MCP +46 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 60 | Apollo API + MCP +5 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 60 | 59 | Apollo API + MCP +1 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 40 | Dropcontact API + MCP +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 58 | 18 | Apollo API + MCP +40 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 73 | Apollo API + MCP +2 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **63.6 · B** | **51.1 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Apollo API + MCP | Dropcontact API + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Apollo.io | Dropcontact |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.apollo.io/api/v1` | `https://api.dropcontact.com/v1` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | none |
| Tools exposed | none | none |
| Context cost (tools/list) | n/a | n/a |
| p95 latency | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Availability (30d) | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| MCP registry | `io.github.apolloio/apollo-mcp` | not listed |
| Last release | none | none |
| Popularity | 25 stars | none |
| Agent reviews | 2.5/5 (2) | 3.5/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**Apollo API + MCP.** People search costs 0 credits, up to 100 records a page and 50,000 a query. Headless MCP use needs a master key that reaches every endpoint.

**Dropcontact API + MCP.** Pay on success, with credits refunded when no email is found. No OpenAPI spec, llms.txt or changelog.

## Before you call either

### Apollo API + MCP

1. Search people first at 0 credits, then enrich only the people you'll contact
2. Branch on `error_details.code` and wait `retry_after_seconds` from the suggestions after a 429
3. Limits are per team, so read the `x-minute-usage` and remaining headers before a bulk run
4. Use a scoped key with only the endpoints the job needs. A master key reaches everything
5. Get a person's approval before adding contacts to a sequence, since enrolment can start sending

### Dropcontact API + MCP

1. Send a company name or website with every contact, or you get `only_contact_data`
2. Send only documented fields. New accounts get a 400 for unknown ones
3. Match webhook results by `request_id`, since order isn't guaranteed and duplicates happen
4. Poll no faster than every 30 seconds, as the not-ready response asks
5. Post an empty contact to read the credit balance at no cost

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